Who should replace Sexy Dexy?
By: Jake Rajala
It’s official: the New York Giants traded their premier defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, to the Cincinnati Bengals for their tenth overall pick. He was recently ranked by PFF as the second best DT (after Chris Jones). This comes after Cincy moved on from Trey Hendrickson earlier in the offseason. With that said, the pivotal question is: Who could replace Lawrence on the GMEN?
Daron Payne
There have been trade rumors surrounding Daron Payne recently. The 28 year old has made questionable choices with fighting and he isn’t the same player that he was in 2022. Of course, he notched 11 sacks, 20 QB hits, and 18 TFLs in 2022. He could still shake off the dust and return to stardom at 28 years old.
Calais Campbell
It would be an understatement to say Calais Campbell isn’t human. At 39 years old, he’s unblockable. He is coming off a season whre he unleashed 6.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss, 43 combined tackles, and a couple of pass deflections. He has played for three different teams over the past three seasons. It may be time for him to play four a fourth different team in four years.
DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner is on a contract year. I expect him to lay everything on the line. It’s not a guarantee that the Colts will break the bank for him. The Giants also need him more than the Colts. The GMEN could also move on from him without blowing a first round pick in my opinion. Sure, it may be a second at least. Nonetheless, it would look genius if they could deal Sexy Dexy for the tenth overall pick in 2026 and then give up a non-first round pick for Buckner.
Aaron Donald
Is it a pipe dream? Maybe.
If Aaron Donald comes out of retirement, he will want to play somewhere he can thrive. Well, there may not be another DL that has a couple of prominent edge rushers like the the GMEN. They have Brian Burns, Abudl Carter, and Kavyon Thibodeaux. The Giants DC Dennard Wilson is also aggressive and creative. He will know how to get after opposing QBs.
David Onymeta
David Onymeta is one of the most talented defensive tackles available right now. If the Giants want to throw their money at someone, it should be him. The former Saints draft pick had a career best 62 tackles last season. He also had several TFLs. Onyemta is a prominent at penetrating the DL, so he does a lot that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Ed Oliver
Ed Oliver hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He had a magical 2023 season, where he unleashed 9.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, and 14 TFLs. It appeared he was going to have a career season, which could result in a Pro Bowl. In just three games last season, he had three sacks, five QB hits, and several TFLs. He may benefit from a change in scenery.
Mario Edwards
Mario Edwards can play DT and DE on occasion, similar to Chris Jones and Ndamukong Suh. Edwards notched a few sacks, eight QB hits, and 31 tackles in 2024. In 2025, he acquired 1.5 sacks, four QB hits, as a back-up. Let it be known that he missed a few games last season and four in 2024.
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